Car step



CAR STEP Filed July 19. 1923 .LLLMMLL will!" -ejzme wn laf, Jr.

Patented Aug'. 12, 1924.,`

UNITED T TSEIS I y 1,5%,015 PATENT -oFF-INCE..

JAMES Dunne?, Ja, or uasr rirrsvaen, .PENNSYLVANIA ,f p p cna STE?.

Application filed July 19,

To @Zh/)hom it may conc-ern Be it known Vthat I, JAMES DUNLAP, Ir., a citizen of the United States'of America, residing Vat vEast Pittsburgh, in 'the *county 'of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful EImproveniente in Gar Steps; and I do hereby declare that the vfollowingis a fu'll,-'clear, concise, and exact description olf the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art `to which vit app'erta-ins to imake and` use the same.

This invention relates vto improvements in car steps, `having 'for an 'objectto provide a car step especially advantageous for `use upon freight cars, vor similar railway roll ing stock, the device being'of such construction and design as will afford a more positive and sure footing for a user, having means 'thereon 'for guiding the foot into engagement therewith, as when a person iboards an equipped Icar in ymotion.

It is also lan object ofthe invention to provide a carstep which is so constructed as to prevent the slipping of the foot of a person boarding an equipped car through the same and possibly becoming `entangled or crushed in or by the ruiming gear.

Yet another object of the invention 'is `to provide a car step so constructed and designed as to render the same more easily visible and also, will be conducive of con- `fidence upon `parte of a user about to or using the same. y

4Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In order that the invention and it-s mode of operation may be readily understood by persons skilled in the art, I 4have in the accompanying illustrative drawings, and in vthe detailed following description based thereon, set out one possible embodiment of the same.

In these drawings: Figure l is a front elevation ofthe im proved car step showing the same attached Figure 2 is aside elevation thereof;

`li`igure 3 is a vertical section through the same taken on the line l3 3 of `Figure l looking in the direction in which the arrows point; and,

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line le-2L of Figure 3 looking in the direction in which the arrows point.

Having more lpart-cular 'reference vto 'the V1923. vSerial No. 652,652.

-FigLire 4, whereas the bottom 4flange 4 *is plane and is slightly inclined 'towards the open front ofithe body portion 'of the step, as is `indicated in the Figure 3.

The step body portion 1' is so constructed 'as to provide a form of pocket indicated by the numeral 5 and clearly shown inthe Figure 3; having vits upper, rear and fbottom walls curved, as clearlyshown andthe bottom thereof arranged in a plane slightly below the basal portion ofthe open front #of the step, whereat it is extended straight and `transversely across 'the body portion, thus providing a flattened ledge or footlbar 6, which, if desired, may have the upper 'face or surfacethereof roughened, in a suitw able manner, not shown.

The opposite sidesof the body `portion l or the pocket 5 of `the step are formed `straight or plane, as indicated bythe numeral 7 in the Figure 4t, and as heretofore stated,carry upon their outer marginal portions, the lconcavo-convex flanges or guides 3'; theladjacent or top portionof said pocket =5 being `reversely curved,as indicated by the 'numeral 8 and forming an effectual guiding yor deliectingimeans, whereby the sole of the foot. of -a person using'v the step `will be directed downwardly and rearwardly into positive engagen'ient with the pocket 5 in event that lany difficulty is experienced in engaging the same.

The curved bottom of the pocket 5 has a plurality of openings "9 preferably formed therein, whereby to allow the draining of 'water' or the passage of dirt or other mat'- "ter/accumulated or `deposited therein from ture of said interior surface is such as will tend to direct a foot of a user or any foreign matter downwardly towards the bottom thereof, thus ensuring positive and sure eni gagement of` a foot of a person at the bottom of kthe step as well as the direction of any foreign matter to the perforated bottom of the step body portion with the following drainage or removal thereof from the body portion `by way of the openings 9.

From the foregoing, it will be understood `that I have provided a simple, but highly eflicient form of step especially desirable for use in connection with freight cars and similar railway rolling stock. The concavoconvex flanges 3 arranged upon the opposite sides of the open front of the step body portion l are such as will cause the positive direction of a' foot of a person towards and *into the open front of the step, as when boarding an equipped car, thus rendering engagement of the foot with the bottom of the step positive. Furthermore, the formation and design of the bottom plane flange 4c is such as will cause the sole of the foot of a user when engagin the saine to be directed upwardly onto the flattened ledge or foot bar 6 formed at the bottom of the open front end of the pocket 5 of the step body portion.

The foot of a person when engaging properly with the open front of the car step will have the toev and ball portion thereof passed into the pocket 5, while the instep of the foot willengage and rest upon the flattened ledge or foot bar 6, the forward portion of the heel of the shoe of the wearers foot contacting with an adjacent portion of the plane bottom flange 4 and hence, affording an effectual stop for the foot, thereby facilitating the boarding of the equipped car.

Also, as heretofore stated, because of the curvature of the bottom of the pocket portion 5, and its arrangement in a plane below that in which the flattened ledge or foot bar 6 is arranged, it will be understood that water, dirt, or other foreign mat.- ter accumulated or deposited in said body portion 5 will bepermitted to pass therefrom immediately by way of the openings 9 and in consequence, interference with the proper engagement of the foot of a user in the step willfbe avoided. Likewise, be-

cause of the fact that the rearward wall of the body portion of the step is closed, it will be seen that the passage of a foot of a user through the step into engagement with the running gear of an equipped car will be avoided, and in consequence, possibility of entanglement of the foot with the running gear, or the crushing of the same thereby will be prevented.

It is to be also noted that by reason of the reversely curved formation of the top wall 8 of the step body portion 1, that is, the pocket 5, should the foot of a person boarding an equipped car be raised too high with respect to the open front of the step, the toe thereof will engage the downwardly extending or directed reversely curved top wall 8 and hence, the foot will be directed rearwardly and downwardly so that it will positively engage with the bottom of the step, the instep resting upon the flattened ledge or foot bar 6.

The depth or length of the pocket 5 of the body portion l is to be such as to accommodate any size foot and in consequence, will ensure a person using the step of positive engagement therewith and prevent injury to such person as by way of slipping of the foot from the step or through the same.

Manifestly, the construction shown is capable of considerable modification and such modification, as is within the scope of my claims, l. consider within the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

l. A car step comprising a body portion having concavo-convex flanges upon the opposite sides thereof adapted to direct the foot of a. user into engagement therewith.

2. A car step comprising a body portion having concavo-ronvex flanges upon the forward portions of the opposite sides thereof adapted to direct the foot of av user into engagement therewith` and a downwardly extending flange formed upon the forward portion of the bottom thereof.

A oar step comprising a pocket-like body portion having the rearward wall thereof closed and the forward portion thereof opened, and concave-convex flanges upon the opposite sides of said body portion adapted to direct the foot of a user into engagement therewith.

4. A car step comprising a pocket-like body portion having the rearward wall thereof closed and the forward portion thereof opened, concave-convex flanges upon the forward extremities of the opposite" sides of said body portion adapted to direct the foot of a user into engagement therewith.

5. A car step comprising a pocket-like body portion having the rearward wall thereof closed and the front portion opened,

concave-convex flanges upon the forward extremities of the opposite sides of the body portion adapted to direct the foot of? a user into engagement therewith, and a plane downwardly extending flange upon the forward extremity of the bottom o-f said bodyv portion.

6. A car step comprising a pocket-like body portion having the rearward wall thereof closed and the forward portion opened, flanges upon the forward extremities of the opposite sides th-ereof adapt-ed to direct the foot of a user into engagement therewith, a downwardly extending plane flange upon the forward extremity of the bottom of said body portion, said bottom of the body portion being flattened transversely of itself, as and for the purpose set forth.

7. A car step comprising a pocket-like body portion having the rearward wall thereof closed and the forward portion opened, the bottom of said pocket-like body portion being curved and arranged in a plane below the plane in which the bottom of the open front portion thereof is arranged, the bottom of said open front portion being flattened whereby to provide a foot bar, as and for the purpose set forth.

8. A car step comprising a pocket-like body portion having the rearward wall thereof closed and the forward portion thereof opened, the bottom offsaid lpocketlike body portion being curved and arranged lin a plane below that in which the bottom of the open forward portion is arranged, said bottom of the open forward portion being widened and flattened, and flanges upon the forward extremities of the opposite sides of said'body portion adapted to direct a foot of a user into engagement therewith.

9. A car step comprising a. pocket-like body portion having the rearward wall thereof closed and its front portion opened, the bottom of said pocket-like body portion being curved and arranged in a plane below that in which the bottom of the open front portion is arranged, said bottom of the open front lportion being widened and flattened, concave-convex flanges upon the forward extremities of the opposite sides of the body portion, and a'plane downwardly extending flange upon the forward extremity of said widened and flattened bottom of the open front portion.

l0. A car step comprising a pocket-like body :portion having its rearward wall closed and its front portion opened, the bottom of said pocket-like body portion being curved and arranged in a plane below that in which the bottom of the open front portion is arranged and having a plurality of openings formed therein, said bottom of the open front portion being widened and flattened, concavo-convex flanges upon the forward extremities of the opposite sides of said body portion, and a plane downwardly extending flange carried upon the forward extremity of the bottom of said open front portion.

11. A car step comprising a pocket-like body portion `having its rearward wall closed and its front portion opened, the top wall of said pocket-like body portion being reversely curved andi downwardly directed, the bottom of said pocket-like body portion being curved and arranged in a plane below that plane in which the bottom of said open front portion is arranged, said bottom of the open front portion being widened and flattened, concavo-convex flanges upon the forward extremities of the opposite sides of said body portion adapted to direct the foot of a user into engagement therewith, and a plane downwardly extending flange arranged upon the forwardextremity of the bottom of said widened and flattened open front portion.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES DUNLAP, JR. 

